Netizen 24 MYS: Analyst: Nothing surprising in Amanah-PKR rift

UUM political scientist Kamarul Zaman Yusoff says repairing the relationship may be difficult as the wounds inflicted by the verbal barbs have gone very deep.

PETALING JAYA: The public verbal brawl that has erupted between PKR and Amanah in Selangor over seat distribution is not unexpected, but will be difficult to heal, says political analyst Kamarul Zaman Yusoff.

He noted that the tensed relations between the two Pakatan Harapan (PH) components had been developing for quite some time.

In a Facebook post, the Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) senior lecturer said the latest rebuke delivered by Selangor Amanah chief Izham Hashim on Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Aliâs ability as the Selangor PH chair was unsurprising as other Amanah leaders had also questioned Azminâs fitness to hold the post.

Kamarul said dissatisfaction in the Amanah camp with Azmin began as far back as June 2016 when the PKR deputy president suggested that Amanah stay out of the Sungai Besar parliamentary by-election.

He said Azmin and other PKR leaders were not confident that Amanah, a PAS splinter, could attract many Malay votes and should make way for the Islamist party to take on the Barisan Nasional in a straight fight for the seat.

In the event, the Amanah candidate came in third behind BN and PAS.

Kamarul said Amanahâs pride was further hurt by the release of a surveyâs finding during the campaign by the state-linked Institut Darul Ehsan think tank showing the party could only muster one percent of the Malay votes in the constituency.

Then, a statement by Selangor PKR information chief and Azminâs political secretary, Shuhaimi Shafiei, that Amanah not field any candidates in the state was strongly criticised by Khalid.

âThe feud continued with Amanah pressuring Azmin to replace PAS members in the state administration, including the executive council, with Amanah leaders, after PAS quit the opposition coalition, but this was ignored by the menteri besar,â said Kamarul.

He said Selangor Amanah deputy chairman Saari Sungib was even accused by Azmin as begging for an Exco position.

Kamarul said the quarrel showed that Azmin and other Selangor PKR leaders would not easily give way to Amanah in sharing seats in the state.

In fact, he said, the PKR leaders were still working to forge cooperation with PAS to ensure the victories of Azmin and other PKR candidates in the state in the coming polls.

The attacks by Amanah against Azmin, now being supported by the DAP, meant that it would be difficult for Azmin to be re-appointed the menteri besar even if PH succeeded in forming the next state government, he said.

Besides Selangor DAP chief Tony Pua, who has voiced his support for Izham, the partyâs central executive committee member Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew had also questioned Azminâs fitness to continue as Selangor PH chairman.

âNo doubt there will be efforts to resolve the dispute between PKR and Amanah in Selangor but restoring their relationship will be very difficult as the wounds inflicted by the verbal barbs have gone very deep,â said Kamarul.